Review: Jar of Pandora

Summary from Goodreads:
Kasey Reese ran from a life of responsibility to study abroad in Deia,
Spain. She hoped for an adventure, but what unfolded in Spain was beyond
the imaginable. In that remote little village she met the love of her
life, Dion - a twenty-year-old immortal saint.

Kasey and Dion
return to America only to realize their love is challenged by their
opposite virtues and Kasey’s dysfunctional family.

Unique and
action-packed, in this book Kasey learns that Pandora is her immortal
grandmother. Determined to find her and to uncover many truths, Kasey
sets out with Dion on a deadly journey. But answers come with a great
cost - a three thousand year old prophecy, a feud of the gods and death.

The Review:
I don't even know where to begin with this book...in a good way. When I
finished Men of The Cave, I was excited to see where the next
installment would go. And Marisette sure didn't disappoint. I empathized
with Kasey's return to the states and her estranged boyfriend. Teal is
such a great character and I found myself wishing for a reconciliation
the whole time. Without giving too much away, it was nice to see more of
the secondary characters in this book and find out more about why Kasey
is so important to so many immortals. The pacing flowed nicely and the
plot was solid. Lots of action mixed with too much heartbreak (I'm still
upset over one death in particular), will have you on the edge of your
seat. The ending is a bit stunning, and somewhat disturbing to me -
although disturbing isn't always a bad thing in my book. I will admit
that I have my idea of how Kasey should handle the situation, but I'll
have to wait until 2013 to find out if Marisette agrees.The Good: Constant action, great mythological creatures, believable world building, and something different.

The Issue: Maybe
it's just me, but I'm still having a hard time believing Kasey's
undying love for Dion. I felt more of a relationship (good and bad)
between Kasey and Teal. Perhaps I'm biased, but I hope what I'm seeing
will play into Kasey's decision in Book Three.

The Rating: 5 conch!YA fans of mythology and love stories definitely need to check this one out. It's a "read in one sitting" type of book for me!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt:

“I’m calling 911,” Teal said
frazzled by the whole thing.

I held on to his wrist tighter,
“Hold on not yet.”

“What do you mean not yet, are
you crazy!” Teal screamed at me frantic.

Dion didn’t hesitate. He swiftly
scooped Nolan into his arms and disappeared before our eyes.

“Where the hell are they? What
the hell just happened?” Teal looked around confused.

“Come on let’s go.” I sat up,
grabbed my things, and headed for the car. I wept all the way. I couldn’t get
it under control.

“No,” Teal pulled his hand away.
I hadn’t even noticed that I was still holding on to it.

“Kasey, what is going on?”

“I don’t know,” I yelled back.

“Where’s is Dion and Nolan? How
could they have just disappeared?” He started to follow me to my car.

“Dion took Nolan back to his
house.” I knew I had a lot of explaining to do.

“Exactly how,” he stopped
walking.

“I will explain in the car, now let’s get the
hell out of here.”

He gathered the seriousness in
my tone and hurried to catch up. As soon as we made it to the car my phone
vibrated. It was Dion letting me know that he arrived at the house and Nolan
was with Max. Feeling relieved but completely terrified I sobbed.

“Who was that?” Teal asked. His eyes wide, his
face covered with an expression of madness. I started the car with shaky hands
and began our forty-five minute trip to the Kleon ranch. I kept my breathing
shallow and slow. The smell of blood from our clothes made me sick.

“It was Dion, he’s at the house.
Max is taking care of Nolan.”

“Kasey,” Teal narrowed his eyes, “how did Dion
get to Saint Cloud in a few minutes?”

I exhaled and shot quick glances
at Teal. “Dion isn’t exactly human.”

He lost all color in his face
and his eyes went from narrow to wide.

“What do you mean he’s not human?”

“Dion and his brothers are immortals…”

“Jesus, Kasey. I’m going to flip out on you if
you freakin tell me your boyfriend is a vampire!” He was crazed.

Teacher, mother, and wife, not in that order. I’m an extreme
Florida girl whose never seen snow. I believe white should be worn at funerals,
not black. Studied at the University of Central Florida for a BA in English. If
I can avoid close-toed shoes, I do. Born from Cuban immigrant parents I spoke
Spanish before I spoke English. If you ever see me staring blankly into
nothing, then my head is in a story.